FRIDAY
08:00 Depart early from Salalah and head north via the Muscat–Salalah Coastal Road. You have 485 km of sea view ahead of you to enjoy.
14.00 Turn right in Al Kahil and follow the signs for the Pink Lagoon. A few kilometres down the road, a strip of pink-coloured water will appear in front of your eyes. It’s real. Though the intensity of the colour varies throughout the year, the water just before the sea always has a definite, other-worldly pink hue.
16.00 25 kilometres north of Al Kahil, take a left to reach Wadi Barun (18.774998, 56.621009). The sheer immensity of this canyon earns it a little detour. Amazingly wide and reddish, the view will remind you of the African savanna at sunset.
18:30 Drive on to Duqum and check-in at Park Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence just in time for a quick swim in its relaxing ocean-view swimming pool.
20:00 Re-fuel with a sirloin steak and salad at the hotel’s RBG Bar and Grill.
21:00 Play a few rounds of mini-football before heading to bed.
SATURDAY
08:00 Have coffee and breakfast by the sea before checking-out of the hotel and driving back south.
09:30 Stop in Ras Madrakah and jump in the crystalline waters. This amazing bay has a powerful combination of the most amazing turquoise sea splashing over fine white sand.
13:00 Order an egg sandwich with chips and a karak tea on the go from one of the small coffee shops next to the main road, then head north for the long, but very scenic drive back to Muscat.
20:00 Reach back home, close your eyes and remember the pink red white and turquoise colours of the picturesque weekend you have just left behind.